What Is an American Muslim?
Embracing Faith and Citizenship
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- $59.99
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- $59.99
Publisher Description
Since 2001, there has been a tremendous backlash against the very idea that it is possible to be both American and Muslim-the controversy over the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" and the attempts to ban shari'a law are examples. Even within the Muslim community many leaders urge believers to integrate more fully into the mainstream of American life. Is it possible to be both fully American and devoutly Muslim?
An American citizen born and raised in the Sudan, an internationally recognized scholar of Islam, and a human rights activist, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im brings a unique perspective to this crucial question. By demanding that Muslims assimilate, he argues, allies and critics alike assume that American Muslims are a monolithic bloc, a permanent minority set apart from that which is truly "American." An-Na'im wholeheartedly rejects this notion and urges Muslims to embrace their faith without fear. Islam, he argues, is one of many dimensions of identity-Muslims are also members of different ethnic groups, political parties, and social circles, not to mention husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, baseball fans and movie buffs. In short, Muslims share a vast array of identities with other Americans, but the most important identity they all share is as citizens.
Muslims, An-Na'im argues, must embrace the full range of rights and responsibilities that come with American citizenship, and participate fully in civic life, while at the same time asserting their right to define their faith for themselves. They must view themselves, simply, as American citizens who happen to be Muslims. What Is an American Muslim? is a bold and provocative take on the future of Islam in America.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An-Na'im (Islam and the Secular State), professor of law at Emory University and author of several books on Islam, offers in his latest book what American Muslims are and what they should become. He respectfully opposes a defensive stance, encouraging American Muslims to embrace fully their place in American society and espouse their identities. He argues for the possibility of harmonizing Islamic standards and American law, for example, when a Muslim chooses not to charge interest on a loan, as usury is prohibited in Islam. In a stroke of genius, he reveals an Islamic basis for adaptation in migrations, citing the earliest Muslims, who themselves changed as they moved. In the most valuable portion of the book, An-Na'im shares results of a survey conducted at U.S. Islamic centers. His measurement of Muslim fatigue at having to explain and educate about their religion since 9/11 is significant, since it may be the first and only documentation of this sentiment. An-Na'im makes more observations than plans, and his observations are law-based, centering on theories of governance and citizenship.